


On the Ropes

by The_Plaid_Slytherin



Category: Battlestar Galactica (2003)
Genre: AU - Boxing, F/M, Twelve Colonies AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-29
Updated: 2012-12-07
Packaged: 2017-11-22 18:58:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/613155
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Plaid_Slytherin/pseuds/The_Plaid_Slytherin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Twelve Colonies AU. Saul is a boxer on his way to a comeback when he shows up in Laura's classroom and catches her eye.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Title:** On the Ropes  
 **Author:** The Plaid Slytherin ([](http://plaid-slytherin.livejournal.com/profile)[ **plaid_slytherin**](http://plaid-slytherin.livejournal.com/) )  
 **Characters/Pairings:** Saul/Laura, Bill, Cottle, various others  
 **Rating:** M  
 **Summary:** Twelve Colonies AU. Saul is a boxer on his way to a comeback when he shows up in Laura's classroom and catches her eye.  
A/N: For the [](http://bsg-epics.livejournal.com/profile)[**bsg_epics**](http://bsg-epics.livejournal.com/) Fic Pentathlon, as a Cylon ship. Thanks to [](http://wishflsinfl.livejournal.com/profile)[**wishflsinfl**](http://wishflsinfl.livejournal.com/) for betaing and the incredibly awesome boxing knowhow and the members of [](http://bsg-checkin.livejournal.com/profile)[**bsg_checkin**](http://bsg-checkin.livejournal.com/) for their encouragement.

  
Laura walked into the classroom ten minutes before class was scheduled to start and surveyed the room. Not many students had arrived yet, not a surprise for Friday night Principles of Accounting. She smiled at the eager-looking young woman in the front row—she could tell she would probably be one of her best students—and then let her eyes linger on the man in the center row. All right, so he didn't want to seem too eager, nor did he want to seem like a total slacker.

Or he couldn't sit in the back because he couldn't see. From the front of the room, Laura could now see that he had a patch over one eye, the strap of which must have been hidden from the back by his thick mop of red hair.

It gave his face a somewhat surly expression, but once she studied him, she realized he wasn't really scowling at her. She had him pegged for about thirty, maybe a couple of years older. His nose was a bit crooked, as if it had been broken a few times and his ears looked a bit beaten up, too.

 _A boxer_ , she thought with a smile, instantly transported back to Saturday night with her father, watching the fights. Her mother had never thought it was an appropriate place for a little girl, but Laura had always gone with him happily, wanting to do whatever Daddy did. It had been years since she'd even thought about going to a fight, and the reminder made her smile.

According to the roster, he was Saul Tigh and he hadn't taken a class at Caprica City Community College before. Frankly, he didn't look eager to be in this one.

Laura started class at exactly 7:00, welcoming the students and reviewing her course policies. Saul Tigh didn't take any notes, but he did seem to read the syllabus, which was a plus.

"Now," she said, "let's go around and introduce ourselves."

The students were the usual mix—some more enthusiastic than others and she found herself curious why Tigh was taking the class.

"Saul Tigh," he said, when it was his turn, giving the class a curt wave. "Hoping to start my own business."

He did nothing to explain the eyepatch—not that it was any of her business—but despite herself, Laura found herself intrigued.

At the break, when most students left the room, Tigh remained in his seat, looking impatiently at the clock. Really, a Friday night class was an unusual place to see a young man. She supposed he would rather be out on the town.

She smiled to herself. She was too young to be thinking this way—Tigh was her age or older, and here she was thinking of him like he was twenty years her junior. She should be out on the town, too.

She approached him, deciding to start with a neutral question. "How is your seat? Would you like to move closer to the board?"

Tigh raised an eyebrow. "Is this about the eyepatch? I can see just fine. This is temporary."

Laura simply nodded, not wanting to point out that the quality of his vision didn't matter much when it was so obscured.

She decided to try a different approach.

"You a fighter?"

That clearly surprised him and he looked impressed for a moment before he smirked. "How did you figure that?"

"Your ears."

He snickered. "They're not as bad as they could be, you know."

"I know."

"Where did you learn so much?"

"Around." She smiled and reluctantly turned back to the clock. The break was almost over and she should really talk to some of the other students, too.

That only seemed to amuse him more. "It's nice to know you have diverse expertise, Ms. Roslin."

As she walked away, Laura found she couldn't wipe that stupid smile off her face.

Yes, she was definitely going to enjoy this semester.

**

Saul was in the gym first thing on Saturday morning, getting started on his workout. He barely heard the door open and close as Bill came in.

"What did that punching bag ever do to you?"

"Shut it, Adama."

"I take it you didn't like Principles of Accounting?" Bill parted the ropes and hauled himself into the ring.

"It was fine." Saul took a swing and missed—damn that right side—and danced out of the bag's swing. "Teacher's hot." _And pretty damn observant, too._

Bill sighed and leaned on the post. "I'm only doing this out of concern for you, Saul."

"It'll heal, Bill. I'll be back in the ring."

Bill didn't say anything.

"I know you don't believe me and that's fine." Saul kept relentlessly waling on the bag as Bill stood there impassively. "But I can get back in it. I swear."

"Your eye."

Saul grabbed the bag and spun on Bill. "I know about my frakking eye, okay? I heard what the doc said."

"Well, clearly, you don't understand."

"I _do_ ," Saul snapped. "And it's my decision." Saul turned back to the bag. "I have to get back in the ring."

Bill sighed again. "Okay. Let's make a deal. You keep going to that Accounting class and I'll reconsider once it's over. Prove to me you can handle it. That's through your training and your grade in that class."

Saul looked down at his gloved hands. "Deal."

**

Saul tried. He really did. But it wasn't getting easier. Two weeks later, as he drove home from class in a pouring rain, he wondered if he ought to drop the class. The only thing keeping him going was how frakking serious Bill was about this.

He'd known how serious Bill Adama could be ever since they'd met on _Galactica_ during the war. They'd made a fast friendship on the hangar deck, bonding over their shared non-Caprican heritage and Bill had shared his two dreams with Saul—flying Vipers and boxing. Saul had seen firsthand what care Bill took shining up the birds, making them run right, taking crap from pilots with a smile and a "yes, sir," hoping one day that could be him jumping in that cockpit.

Then, they'd been boarded by the Cylons.

Saul hated to remember that, dragging his bloody, dying friend through the corridors of the ship to sickbay, trying to avoid the clang of metal, the sound of gunfire.

Bill had lived, but he'd lost his right leg and both those dreams.

Saul remembered, like it was yesterday, sitting by Bill's hospital bed, telling him the leg was gone, watching the agony on his face. He'd known what he had to do right then, and next dance, he'd been in the ring, Bill, pale-faced and on crutches, in his corner, telling him what to do. That was how it had been ever since.

He pulled into the crummy lot behind the gym and chanced the run to the back door. He'd have to keep going. For Bill.

**

Some of Laura's colleagues thought she was crazy for taking Friday night classes. They just delayed the start of her weekend. But Laura liked them. Friday nights drew the most dedicated students and after, she got to drive home after rush hour, change into her pajamas and relax in front of the fire.

Sometimes, if there was anything on, she'd watch TV, and tonight she found herself settling on the fights.

As she watched the two men go at each other, her mind drifted back to Saul Tigh. She wondered if she'd ever seen him before, on TV, or with her father. She'd never followed boxing closely as an adult, even less so after her father had died, the memories being too painful. In fact, this was the first time she'd watched a fight since then and she settled back in her chair, sipping her wine and taking it in.

She tried to imagine Saul in the ring, but she couldn't. All she could see was the lost-looking young man with the eyepatch, trying to take enough notes to keep up with her lectures. There was something special about him. Not that she was having any unprofessional thoughts—at least not during the semester. But she definitely wanted to see him succeed.

**

"You're just in time," Bill said, as Saul let himself into the apartment. "The good fights are about to start."

Bill was getting a start on their usual Friday night—takeout and beer in front of the TV. Bill had his prosthetic leg off and the food was already spread out on the coffee table. Saul hung up his jacket and sat down next to him.

"Who do you like in this one?"

"Hm." Saul reached for a container of noodles. "Costanza. He's got the stuff, you know?"

"How was class?"

"Fine. You think Bulldog wins it?"

"Yup." Bill slurped down his noodles. "Bulldog wins it."

They were quiet again, just watching the two fighters size each other up. Saul reached up and took his eyepatch off.

"Don't you need that?"

"Can take it off two hours a day." Saul blinked his right eye and leaned back in his seat. "Just another week I have to wear this thing and we'll be back in business."

Bill took a sip of beer. "Not quite yet. I want you to ease back in… I'm working on a new training regimen and you'll have your classwork." He paused. "Think you could drop a few pounds?"

Saul raised his eyebrows. "You want me to go down a class?"

"I'm not saying that." Bill shrugged. "Just thought you might try—"

"I'm fine where I am. I've been watching my weight. I may not be fighting, but I could make a weigh-in tomorrow."

"I know you could." Bill ran his fingers through his hair. "I'm just thinking strategy here. I've always thought based on your frame, you could go either way." He was now studying Saul with a critical, trainer's eye. "Can we work on dropping ten pounds?"

"Is this why you're watching the welterweight bouts?" Saul jumped to his feet, belatedly realizing he'd put Bill at a disadvantage in the argument because he couldn't do that. "You think these guys are easier or something?"

"I've been studying them," Bill muttered.

"Bill, I am not a welterweight."

"I know." Bill made to reach for his prosthesis, but Saul sat down again, so he wouldn't have to. "It's just this pool of guys. Not saying a lower weight class would be easier, just…" He shrugged. "It's Tyrol. And Agathon. Guys like that… I'm worried they're gonna frak you up."

"I've been frakked up a bunch of times, Bill, and I've made it."

"I don't want you facing Thorne again."

Saul blinked quickly. "I could hold my own against him next time. This was a one-in-a-million accident. He hit me in just the right spot…"

"I know, I know." Bill sighed. "I just… don't want you to get hurt."

"Bill… I'm telling you, I can do it. Believe me, or don't, but I'm getting back in that ring and I'm going to fight these guys." He looked at the TV. "Now, shut up. They're starting the middleweight bouts."

Both of them stopped and turned their attention to the TV.

"I should be taping this," Bill said. "These are your guys."

"On it." Saul moved toward the VCR, eager to be useful after getting upset with Bill. He knew Bill hated it when Saul fussed over him.

The rest of the night was a usual Friday back before Bill had started making noise about Saul hanging up his gloves. Bill took furious notes and barked pointers and before they retired to their rooms, Bill said, "I'm serious."

"About what?" Saul grabbed the empty beer bottles and carried them to the trash.

"This class." Bill pushed himself up and began gathering the cartons from dinner. "I still want you to pass it. Because I was thinking. When you retire— _when_." He held up his hand. "I know it won't be for a long time. When you're old and gray, though, I was thinking, maybe we could expand, you know? Build the gym back up to how it used to be."

"I think that sounds great, Bill." Before the war, Saul knew Adama's Gym had been a local powerhouse, turning out young Tauron boxers by the hundreds. Now, there was only one Aerilon boxer, though Saul had enough Tauron ink that he thought he could be considered adopted. "So, you think I should get the financial background?"

"Protest as you might, you do have a better head for numbers than me." Bill rubbed the side of his nose. "We make a pretty good team, all told."

"That we do."

Bill clapped him on the shoulder. "G'night, Saul."

"G'night, Bill."

**

The next morning, Saul got up at six for a run around the neighborhood and then came home and studied.

**

There was nothing Laura liked to see more than a student who suddenly started taking her class seriously. In the next week, Saul Tigh showed up wearing a suit, with his hair neatly combed, looking like he was ready to get down to business. She didn't want to pry, but something had clearly changed.

"The eyepatch is gone," she commented.

"Yep." He grinned, seeming relieved to have it gone.

"So, I guess you'll be back in the ring?"

"Of course." Saul tapped his pencil on his notebook. "I still want to know how you knew I was a boxer."

"I'm telling you, your ears are a dead giveaway."

"You're one smart lady." Saul smirked. "Well, I guess you'd have to be if you can make heads or tails of all this."

She leaned forward. "What part of it don't you understand?"

"All of it."

She laughed. "Am I right in guessing you don't want to be here?"

"My trainer. He's real into pushing me."

"Sounds like a real hardass."

Saul couldn't suppress a smile at her language. "He also happens to be my best friend, so I'd say he knows a thing or two about pushing my buttons."

"He thinks this will be good for you?"

"Gods know what he thinks. Once he gets an idea in his stubborn head, there's no getting him off it. He had me drinking prune shakes for a while."

"Did they work?"

"What do you think?"

They both laughed.

"Well," she said, "if you ever feel like you need more help, my office is always open. What are your days like? Weekends?"

"I can come in before class…" He chuckled. "My weekends are gonna be booked solid pretty soon."

"You're going to fight again."

"Bill's lining some things up for me."

"That's good," she said. "I bet you're looking forward to getting back to it after all that time away."

He ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah, I am. Missed it." He shrugged. "Plus, we have a plan now. I can use this financial stuff to help the gym out."

"Oh, what gym is it?" She leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand.

He raised an eyebrow, obviously surprised that she thought she might know. "Adama's. In Little Tauron."

Laura smiled. "Believe it or not, I know that place. Or know of it, anyway. My father loved boxing and when I was a little girl, he tried his best to get me into it. I was only happy to go wherever he wanted and we saw a lot of fights, so yes, I know the name Adama. Haven't heard much since the war, though."

Saul looked grim. "That's because there's not much left. A lot of them went off to fight and not a lot of them came back." He rubbed his chin. "Bill—that's Sam's nephew—brought me back from the war, made me an honorary Tauron." He tapped the tattoo on his neck. "He and I run the place now. Nobody else is left."

"That's a shame."

"Well." Saul shrugged. "That's why I'm taking this class. See if maybe we can't breathe some new life into the place."

"I think that's a wonderful sentiment."

"Well, you'll have to thank Bill. He's the brains of the operation."

"If he wanted this so much, why isn't he taking the class?"

Saul smirked. "That's just the thing, ain't it? Bill has that tendency to convince me I want to do the things he doesn't want to do."

Laura laughed. "He sounds like quite a guy."

"I think we're stuck with each other," he said, and for a moment Laura wondered if they were a couple. Why was she disappointed? Hell, why was she _surprised_. Was it because she'd already noticed Saul didn't wear a wedding ring?

She shook her head, trying to get rid of this ridiculous line of thought. Why was it any of her business whether her students were single or not?

The classroom door opened, making them both jump.

"Hello, Karen," Laura said, standing up.

The three of them all exchanged greetings and Karen's arrival heralded the general trickle-in of the rest of the class, and when she looked over at Saul, he was flipping through his notebook, any moment of personal connection between them gone.

Which was just as well, anyway. She couldn't get involved with a student.  



	2. On the Ropes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Twelve Colonies AU. Saul is a boxer on his way to a comeback when he shows up in Laura's classroom and catches her eye.

**Title:** On the Ropes  
 **Author:** The Plaid Slytherin ([](http://plaid-slytherin.livejournal.com/profile)[ **plaid_slytherin**](http://plaid-slytherin.livejournal.com/) )  
 **Characters/Pairings:** Saul/Laura, Bill, Cottle, various others  
 **Rating:** M  
 **Summary:** Twelve Colonies AU. Saul is a boxer on his way to a comeback when he shows up in Laura's classroom and catches her eye.  
A/N: For the [](http://bsg-epics.livejournal.com/profile)[**bsg_epics**](http://bsg-epics.livejournal.com/) Fic Pentathlon, as a Cylon ship. Thanks to [](http://wishflsinfl.livejournal.com/profile)[**wishflsinfl**](http://wishflsinfl.livejournal.com/) for betaing and the incredibly awesome boxing knowhow and the members of [](http://bsg-checkin.livejournal.com/profile)[**bsg_checkin**](http://bsg-checkin.livejournal.com/) for their encouragement.

  
"Got something for next week," Bill said, coming into the gym. "You might want to get your classwork early. Don't want to miss the fight."

Saul stopped, nearly getting tangled up in his jump rope. "What? You, Mr. You're-Taking-This-Class-Or-Else and you want me to skip?"

"You're not skipping. You're making a prior arrangement and you'll do the work." Bill had that stubborn look in his eyes and he headed for the calendar on the wall. Novembris had been blank so far and he seemed to be hiding a grin as he picked up the marker and scribbled, on Friday the 15th, _Anders_.

"Anders? Who's that?"

"New kid. Supposed to be this up-and-coming thing. He's a swarmer, got some good stuff." Bill went on to describe the kid's style, falling into his familiar pacing as he did so. If he hadn't lost the leg, Saul guessed he might have his own battlestar. He'd have made one hell of a commander, and he'd surely have aced the tactics exam at OCS.

He made Saul shadowbox while he stalked back and forth across the mat."Left hook. Uppercut. Hold him, hold him. Back, back, back, let him lead. Yeah, that's it."

Saul watched himself in the mirror. His form wasn't quite up to snuff but if Anders was just a kid, maybe he could beat him.

"Keep going," Bill growled. "Your stamina's down."

Saul gritted his teeth. Bill was certainly back to his old ways.

**

Saul came to class early the following Friday, looking nervous.

"Is something the matter?" Laura asked, getting up from her desk to go over to him.

He smirked. "Fight tonight. Got to rush over there after class."

"Well, good luck." She smiled. "Who's your opponent?"

Saul ran a hand through his hair. "Kid named Anders. This is his first fight as a middleweight. Be interesting to see how he does."

"How did he look at the weigh-in?"

Saul grinned broadly, still clearly impressed with her knowledge. Laura was pleasantly surprised at his smile, glad they had this to talk about.

"He looked good," he admitted. "Still a rook, but then again, I haven't been in it too long, so I'm basically on the same footing."

"When was your last fight?"

Saul reached up to rub the orbit of his right eye. "Four months."

"But you've been training."

"Yeah. Hardcore for a month now."

"Is this something you really forget?"

Saul flexed his fingers. "Don't think so. Been working on my reflexes, my reaction time."

"That's good." Laura considered asking what time the fight was, but she wondered if it would be appropriate. "I'm glad you could still come to class."

Saul grinned. "Of course I did. Wouldn't miss any of this for the world."

**

He left as soon as class was over, and while Laura understood why, she had to admit she was a bit disappointed. She didn't even have a chance to wish him good luck, because another student had asked her a question.

She hoped he would be all right.

Usually, Laura stayed in her office for about an hour after class, in case any students wanted to come see her. After all, she lived nearby and usually didn't have anywhere else to be. However, tonight, she found herself packing up early.

At first, she thought she would drive home early to be sure to catch Saul's fight. But then, she wondered what she was doing when she drove right past her house and got on the freeway. She was headed downtown.

She felt herself smirk. She was headed for the boxing arena.

**

Saul was in the locker room, tensed and pacing. They were playing this thing up like a big comeback, which only served to heighten his nervousness.

The locker room opened and closed and he heard more footsteps than just Bill's.

"Here he is," he heard Bill's voice say. "The man of the hour."

Saul raised an eyebrow. Bill had somebody with him, a brown-haired man about their age, wearing an old military field jacket.

"This is Jack Cottle," Bill said, patting Cottle on the shoulder. "Your new cutman."

Saul sized him up. "What's your story?"

"Medic on _Atlantia_."

Saul gave a curt nod. "We were deckhands on _Galactica_."

Cottle grinned. "I know."

"Okay, enough chitchat." Bill had his commander face on again. He sat on the bench next to Saul. "You ready for this?"

"Yeah." It was easier to say it than it was to feel it, but it was Bill and he'd been lying to Bill to make him feel better for the past twelve years.

Bill thunked him on the back. "Then let's go."

**

Laura hadn't been here since her father was still alive and as she let the crowd carry her, she felt a smile come to her face. This was all just how she remembered it, the men selling programs and taking bets, the banners displaying the matchups. Her eyes were drawn to the flashy screen above the entrance. Saul's image, six times life size, fell into his boxing stance, sizing up an invisible opponent. He threw a few punches and then returned to the starting position. The video looped again, this time, the words "Saul Tigh—comeback fight" flashing rapidly across the screen.

Laura found herself mesmerized. This was completely different from how he looked in class, always put together. He had many more tattoos than just that one on his neck she'd noticed and she thought they were all Tauron, except the military ones on his upper arm.

She shook her head. So, was that why she'd come down here? To gawp at the sight of him shirtless?

Well, she supposed, that _was_ worth the price of admission.

Tickets were standing room only and Laura filed in, trying to get as close to the front as she could. One of the preliminary fights was going on and Laura checked her program again. Saul would be next.

She didn't pay a bit of attention to these fighters, and the longer the wait, the more anxious she got. Gods, she felt like a teenager waiting to see one of her idols. She barely registered the challenger, too.

It seemed like hours passed before the lights dimmed and the crowd's dull roar turned into full frenzy.

Saul really was a big deal, wasn't he? She looked at the people around her. She hadn't expected this at all. She could barely hear the announcer over the crowd noise, but when the low, thumping music began, she could feel it through the floor.

Saul came out, flanked by his cornermen, a look of determination on his face. He had the walk down, she could tell, where he knew just how to move with the music and the crowd. He shucked off his robe and tossed it to one of the men and then climbed into the ring, holding his arms up to acknowledge the crowd.

Laura joined them, yelling as loud as she could. She had to admit, he looked much better in person than on the screen, his muscles making the homemade designs on his torso and arms stand out. She wished she knew what they all meant.

**

Saul tried to adopt an aloof, cocky stance, but it had been ages and he wasn't used to it. Back when they'd first started out, Bill had been trying to come up with an image for him, and he'd never quite been able to decide between Aloof Bad Boy and Scrappy Aerilon Brawler. The latter had involved some intricate fiction about Saul getting his start in hot sand barefisted boxing back home, but in truth, he'd never boxed before the Fleet, and he was the son of an irrigation farmer, not a boxer.

Anders was young, probably ten years younger than Saul. They were relatively a match on build, though Anders had some height advantage. He raised his hand to acknowledge the crowd and then turned to Saul and smirked.

At the ref's signal, they both strode to the middle of the ring for their instructions. Saul kept glancing back and forth between the ref and Anders, trying not to let his nerves show. They touched gloves and Saul turned sharply on his way back to his corner. Down to business.

The bell sounded.

**

At the bell, they were both off, punching and blocking. They were moving so quickly that Laura couldn't follow them. Saul landed the first jab, on the underside of Anders's jaw. The crowd let out a collective "Ooh" and Anders staggered but was able to block the next punch.

She folded her hands together. "C'mon," she murmured under her breath. "C'mon, Saul, c'mon."

Saul was dancing back and forth, avoiding Anders's swings. He wasn't getting hit, but he wasn't hitting back much either. She could tell they were very evenly matched.

She let her eyes drift to Saul's cornermen. The one with the towel had to be his trainer, the way he was stalking like a caged tiger. The other guy—the cutman—was watching impassively, arms crossed over his chest. He seemed to be watching the trainer more than he was watching Saul. She supposed that was so he'd know if Saul was in any kind of trouble—he could just be here for his medical skills and not because he knew boxing.

That was when the first round ended. Saul seemed like he was in good shape, and he ambled casually back to his corner. His trainer bounded forward and began speaking rapidly, Saul bobbing his head at everything he said.

He seemed to know exactly when the bell would sound again, because he turned with it, striding back into the middle of the ring.

Laura watched the rest of the fight on the edge of her seat. She was oblivious even to the roar of the crowd around her. She was only watching Saul as he quickly came to dominate the fight. He may have been rusty, but no one would ever have known it based on the way he was moving. Anders gave him some trouble in the first few rounds, but before long, Laura was beginning to see why Saul had been a champion.

**

She wasn't sure why she never told him. Perhaps she never found a good way to work in _Oh, by the way, I was there_ , when she asked him how it had gone.

For his part, Saul was doing a very good job of balancing his classwork and his training.

He raised his shoulders when she told him this one week. "Bill—that's my trainer—always said I was better with numbers than him. I guess I just never really noticed. Never needed to use them much."

"Mm." She nodded. "Well, you're doing quite well. You have one of the best grades in the class."

His eyes lit up and she smiled. It was always satisfying to see a student thrilled about their performance, especially when it came as a surprise. "You sure about that?"

Laura laughed. "As sure as I can be. You'll be getting your tests back at the end of class. Do you feel like you're learning?"

Saul rubbed the back of his neck. "I guess. Never really thought much about it."

"Do you think you'll be able to help the gym? Isn't that why you wanted to take the class?"

Saul smirked. "You mean, isn't that why _Bill_ wanted me to take it? But yeah, I think so." He had a dreamy look in his eyes. "We might be able to make something of the place. Back like it was."

"I know Adama's Gym used to be a big deal."

His eyebrows rose. "You remembered. Really, I'm just glad it's still going to be there when I'm through." He tapped his right eyebrow. "This was a real wakeup call. I'm not indestructible. Just _almost_ indestructible."

Laura laughed. She wanted to say more, she always wanted to say more to him, but she had to start class.

Saul seemed distracted throughout class and he was one of the first to go, even before Laura remembered the tests and she couldn't even catch him in the hallway.

Well, she _was_ going to the fight tonight.

Could she give it to him then?

Laura smirked and tucked Saul's test into her purse. There was no reason she couldn't.

**

Saul had fought Karl "Helo" Agathon before and had won easily, but that had been eighteen months ago and the kid had gotten better.

"Don't know if I can do this, Bill," he panted at the end of the third round.

"Yes, you can." Bill stepped out of the way so Jack could get him with the petroleum jelly. "You did it before."

"He sucked then."

The three of them looked across the ring to where Helo was lounging, looking like he owned the ring, while his wife (and trainer) rubbed him down.

"You can do it," Bill said, giving him a thunk on the shoulders. "If you start losing, how are you gonna get to show off for teacher when you go to class?"

Saul cringed. Was he that obvious?

Bill smirked. Saul hated how they could almost read each other's minds like that. "Get him, tiger."

**

In Laura's educated-but-not-expert opinion, this was Saul's toughest opponent yet. He was already bleeding from a cut on his forehead and his opponent wasn't letting up. With each successive hit he took, the crowd gasped louder. Laura, who had never been squeamish about boxing, wanted to look away more than she ever had in her life.

A hard overhand right sent Saul sprawling and Laura's hands flew to her mouth. _Oh, gods._

She'd gone in hoping he'd win; now, she was hoping he wouldn't be hurt too badly. He managed to stagger to his feet before the count was up.

He gave back almost as good, though, and she saw now why he had such a reputation as a fierce fighter. She'd listened to the chatter of the people around her and she'd heard them call him "Deadeye" Tigh, which wasn't a bad nickname—he was accurate and agile and she did like watching him fight—as long as he was okay in the end.

He took another blow to the jaw and staggered. He looked a mess—face streaked shiny with blood and petroleum jelly, his hair matted to his forehead, but she could see a new sense of determination in those hazel eyes.

"You can do it," she muttered.

He got Helo with an uppercut, and then with a cross when he staggered.

"Good, good," Laura muttered. "Keep going, keep going."

Saul took a hit, but managed to keep to his feet. He blocked Helo's next two punches and managed to use the bigger man's momentum against him, knocking him down, but he was up again after eight.

They went back and forth like that for what seemed like hours before the bell. Saul staggered over and collapsed in his corner, breathing hard. Laura couldn't tell what his trainer was saying to him as he poured water down his throat, nor could she read the man's expression. She wished she knew Saul's trainer. That would make watching this so much easier.

Saul seemed slower to respond in the next round, but Helo was weakening, too, she noted. This was hard for both of them. At least he wasn't losing easily.

As they entered the final round, Laura watched with bated breath. Either one could win at this point—they were both exhausted and battered; it would come down to a knockout and in the end it did. Helo hit the mat for ten seconds and the ref raised Saul's hand for the cheering crowd.

Laura stayed in her seat as the rest of the crowd filed out, grumbling about whether they'd lost money or not (she was secretly pleased to see that most people seemed to have bet on Saul). Once there was a clear path, she got up, but instead of moving up the stairs and out of the arena, she found her feet were carrying her down, down to the ring and the doors to the locker rooms.

She walked confidently past the guard and right through the door, with its hand-lettered sign reading _Champ_.

Instantly, she was hit by a wall of heat, with the smell of sweat, mold and gods knew what mixed in with the steam from the hot water. She could hear low men's voices and she walked toward them, her shoes threatening to slip on the wet tiles.

"Godsdammit, Doc, let me do it."

"I keep telling you, I'm not a doctor and no, you _can't_ do it, you're bleeding."

"Budge up, Saul. I gotta sit down."

"You okay, Bill?"

"Just tired. Need to sit."

Laura stepped around a bank of lockers. "Hi," she said, for lack of anything else.

All three men turned to stare at her.

"Ms. Roslin," Saul said, lowering the hand that held the icepack on his forehead. "What are you doing here?"

The cutman grabbed Saul's wrist and put it back in place. "What did I say about sitting still?"

"Sorry, Doc."

The trainer was watching her suspiciously from his seat on the bench. He had his arms crossed over his chest and she might have thought he was handsome if he wasn't glaring at her.

"How'd you get in here?"

"Bill," said Saul sharply. "That's my teacher."

Bill seemed taken aback by this, torn by a desire to be nice to an authority figure and an instinct to protect his den. He reached for the cane which was leaning against the lockers and pushed himself to his feet. So he was a veteran, too. All three of them probably were.

"Bill Adama." He reached out to shake hands. "I'm Saul's trainer."

"I know. I've heard a lot about you."

Bill blinked at that. "Good things?"

"He said taking this class was your idea. He's doing very well."

"That's great." Bill pumped her hand, starting to smile some more. "That's really wonderful."

"That's actually what I came down here for," Laura said, her hand dipping into her bag. "Saul, you left before I could give your test back and—" She looked over at him. He wasn't looking at her; he had his head back so the cutman could cauterize his nose.

"You have to do that now, Jack?" Bill asked.

"Not if you don't want him to wind up in the ER."

Bill gave an exasperated little eyeroll at that and Laura decided she liked him. "Yeah, and we've got a guest in here."

"I don't mind," Laura said hastily. "I've seen worse."

"Good," Jack said, standing up and rubbing his hands on his pants. "Because I have to stitch him up." He went over to his bag and began rummaging through it.

Laura wasn't sure whether she should leave or not, though she'd have liked to talk to Saul privately. She went to stand next to Bill.

"He put up a good fight tonight."

"He sure did." Bill looked proud.

"He beat him before?"

"Oh yeah. Creamed him." Bill gave her another appraising look. Laura ignored it. Jack was getting ready to go to work and Saul had his head tilted back and ready, looking somewhat bored.

"Would one of you mind holding his head still?" Jack asked.

"I told you I'm not moving it."

"You _are_."

Laura looked at Bill, who was leaning a bit heavily on the cane. He was probably tired from being on his feet…

"I'll do it." She set her bag down and went to stand behind Saul. "What do I have to do?"

"Just hold him still. Put your hands… yeah, that's good. Above his ears. They probably hurt, don't they?"

Saul grunted.

Laura slipped her fingers through his hair and held his head. This brought her into eye contact with Saul, though his view of her was upside down.

"Hi," he said. "I'm sorry about this."

"Oh, I don't mind," she said. "I was glad to come see you." She realized how that sounded, but then she decided she didn't care. "Actually, this wasn't the first time. I just didn't get a chance to see you afterward before."

"Oh? Well, then, I'm glad you know I can do better—ow. Shit. Godsdammit, Doc, what's a guy got to do to get a frakking warning?"

Jack stitched impassively. "See what I have to put up with?" he said to Laura.

Bill banged his cane on the tile. "Saul, don't swear."

"I've heard worse."

That got a smile out of Jack. "I'm sure you have."

Laura grinned.

It was over soon enough, though Saul was groaning and complaining like it had taken hours.

"All right," Jack said finally, putting his tools away. "You're all done. Go home and rest."

Saul got up and stretched, reaching for his robe. "Gods, my head is killing me."

Jack ran a hand through his thick brown hair. "All right, I guess it's up to me to drive these two clowns home."

"You two go on ahead," Saul said. "I want to talk to Ms. Roslin."

Bill and Jack exchanged glances and left. Laura suddenly felt nervous. She hadn't done anything to lead Saul on, had she? He had to know they couldn't act on their attraction—if there _was_ a mutual attraction, which she still wasn't counting on—while she was his teacher.

"I'm sorry you had to see that," he said, once the locker room door had shut.

"Oh, Saul, don't apologize. I've enjoyed coming to see your fights."

He raised an eyebrow and winced. "Fights, huh? You did a good job of hiding it. Can't say I ever suspected." He smirked. "And you didn't crowd around ringside after."

Laura felt herself grow hot. "I never knew about that. I never stayed that late."

"Yeah, well, and here we are." Saul took off his robe and replaced it with a T-shirt. For a heartbeat, Laura thought he might remove his trunks, but he just crossed his arms over his chest. "You gonna keep coming, now that your secret's out?"

"I'd like to."

"Good." Saul smirked. "And you can come in here every time if you'd like. Being main event at least means the other guys are gone."

Laura felt another rush of heat. "Saul, I don't think—"

"Seriously." He put his hand on her arm. "I want your opinions when we break it down. You know the sport—I admire that."

Tentatively, she laid her hand over his. "I appreciate that, Saul. I'm just not sure…" She trailed off, realizing she was looking straight into his eyes. "I'm not sure it's exactly appropriate."

"Can't we be friends?"

"Of course, we can," she said quickly. "It's just that while class is in session—"

"Then I'll have to wait to ask you my next question." His eyes were twinkling mischievously and Laura felt a pleasant rush of heat. "And you can be sure I will."

She smiled. "I'll be looking forward to it."  



	3. On the Ropes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Twelve Colonies AU. Saul is a boxer on his way to a comeback when he shows up in Laura's classroom and catches her eye.

**Title:** On the Ropes  
 **Author:** The Plaid Slytherin ([](http://plaid-slytherin.livejournal.com/profile)[ **plaid_slytherin**](http://plaid-slytherin.livejournal.com/) )  
 **Characters/Pairings:** Saul/Laura, Bill, Cottle, various others  
 **Rating:** M  
 **Summary:** Twelve Colonies AU. Saul is a boxer on his way to a comeback when he shows up in Laura's classroom and catches her eye.  
 **A/N:** For the [](http://bsg-epics.livejournal.com/profile)[**bsg_epics**](http://bsg-epics.livejournal.com/) Fic Pentathlon, as a Cylon ship. Thanks to [](http://wishflsinfl.livejournal.com/profile)[**wishflsinfl**](http://wishflsinfl.livejournal.com/) for betaing and the incredibly awesome boxing knowhow and the members of [](http://bsg-checkin.livejournal.com/profile)[**bsg_checkin**](http://bsg-checkin.livejournal.com/) for their encouragement.  
 **Previously:** [One](http://plaid-slytherin.livejournal.com/192684.html) | [Two](http://plaid-slytherin.livejournal.com/193015.html)

  
"Tonight was all right," Bill said, once they were home. "You could do better, though. A lot better."

"I know." Saul was exhausted and just wanted to fall into bed, but he knew Bill would want to hash the fight out. "Wanna hit the sauna?"

"Sure."

They didn't say anything until they were inside.

"So," Bill said, once they were seated. "Ms. Roslin."

"She's a fan of the sport, Bill. I already knew that."

Bill looked skeptical. Saul rolled his eyes. "Are you twelve?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Bill asked.

"You're acting like you're jealous or something."

"I'm not jealous. I'm just saying you have to keep your mind on what you're doing."

Saul crossed his arms over his chest. "Bill, she's my teacher. We're just friends."

"And for how long will that be?"

Saul felt his ears grow hot, hating how Bill could read his mind. "What you need is to get laid."

"Thanks."

"Aw, c'mon, Bill, I didn't mean it like that. I'm just saying." He shrugged. "There's no reason I can't."

"You're right. There's no reason you can't." Bill was quiet for a few minutes, then he said, "Costanza next week. Never fought him before."

"I've wanted to, though. Been watching him since his debut."

"You should do fine," Bill said. "Just keep your wits about you."

"I will."

Saul leaned back. Whatever tension there was with his best friend seemed to have passed, which was good. Things didn't go well when he and Bill were mad at each other.

**

Laura felt less awkward coming to the next fight now that her presence was somewhat sanctioned. She sat as near to the front as she could and she knew Saul had seen her because he smiled and winked at her after his introduction.

Of course, he did that with a lot of the audience members, and she knew flirting with the audience was something Bill had told him to do, but she couldn't help but feel like it meant something different for her.

They didn’t talk more about what they'd said when they were alone in the locker room. Laura knew they could wait a little longer. More time watching his fights, giving him feedback after, just like she gave him feedback on his homework…

It was almost too weird to contemplate.

It had been ages since Laura had been with anybody, since long before she'd lost her family. She had never thought of herself as avoiding relationships, per se, but the opportunity had never presented itself. Now that it was, she found herself hesitant to take it. Was it too good to be true?

Not that any of the potential lovers she'd imagined had looked anything close to Saul.

But he was handsome, smart, funny and she thought her father would have liked him. Laura felt a pang of sadness as she reflected on this, the fact that her family would never get to meet Saul. This made her realize she knew nothing about Saul's family or background. She suspected he didn't have any left besides Bill's, as she knew based on his tattoos that he was from Aerilon, but had been adopted by Bill's uncle.

"You coming next week?" Saul was standing in front of her desk and she laid aside the notebook she hadn't been writing in.

"Of course! Wouldn't miss it for the world. Who's your opponent?"

"It's a guy they call Stinger. I think I can take him just fine."

Laura rested her chin on her hands. "I admire your confidence."

Saul smirked. "Oh, this is all just a front."

"It's working."

He smirked at her. "One more week."

"One more week."

**

Saul looked down at his final exam paper and chewed on his lower lip. He knew this. Why couldn't he remember the answer?

He glanced up at Laura, who was sitting at her desk, marking papers. Oh yeah. Because starting as soon as she entered his final grade, she would no longer be his teacher. He was planning on asking her out after the fight tonight. He smiled. That meant he had to finish his exam—and he had to get a good grade. Knowing Laura, she'd probably do something ridiculous, like refuse to go to dinner with him if he did poorly.

He scowled again at the sheet covered in numbers. "Here goes nothing," he muttered under his breath.

**

"So," he said, slamming his locker shut. "Dinner tomorrow night?"

"Mm, ask me again when I've finished grading your exam."

Saul put his hands on his hips and turned to where she sat on the locker room bench. "You're not doing mine first?"

She smirked. "You know I always grade them in the order they were turned in."

Saul leaned over the mirror and rumpled his hair, making it stand up in the back. "I was second, right?"

"You were second."

Saul smoothed his hair down again. "You almost done Charlene's?"

"Almost."

He swept his hair back from his forehead.

"I like your hair combed forward," she said, not looking up from her grading. "It makes you look tougher."

Saul smirked and did as she said. "Tougher, huh?"

"You think you can intimidate this guy?"

"Maybe?" Saul threw a few punches for the mirror (and Laura). "Think you're gonna be done before the fight?"

"I'll try my best."

Saul nodded, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "You're a frakking tease, you know that?"

"Oh, yes, I do."

The locker room door opened. "Hello, lovebirds," Jack's voice announced. "Shout if you aren't decent."

"We're decent," Saul muttered.

"You don't sound super happy about that."

" _You_ have to get ready for your fight," Bill said. Jack rolled his eyes and Saul grinned at him.

"Yes, sir, Chief." Saul snapped off a salute. "Petty Officer Tigh reporting for duty, sir!"

Bill waved him away. "Just get ready. Laura, you should probably go take your seat."

"All right." She began gathering up her papers. "Good luck, Saul. I'll see you later."

"You still aren't done?"

"I will be when you've finished your fight." She gave him a little wave and disappeared.

Jack patted him on the back. "Look on the bright side, Tigh. Something to look forward to, even if you lose."

"You're not helping, Doc."

Jack just smirked.

**

Laura scrawled an A+ on Saul's exam paper just as the lights dimmed and she shoved her work into her briefcase. She could recite his intro word-for-word now.

"From the red sands of Aerilon to the mean streets of Little Tauron… he got his start as a barefisted fighter and refined his style at Fleet Dances. Representing Adama's gym… Saul Tigh… Deadeye!"

Laura leapt to her feet with the crowd as Saul entered the arena, gesturing so they would make more noise. Laura could see the hint of a smile on Bill's face—she knew he pretended to be stoic but that he secretly loved when the crowd was going nuts for Saul.

"Deadeye! Deadeye! Deadeye!"

Saul acknowledged the chant and whipped his robe into the crowd. Then he caught Laura's eye and gave her a mock salute. She waved back and Saul threw his hands in the air.

Well, she'd never said he wasn't a good showman.

**

Maybe it was the adrenaline high of knowing Laura was watching, knowing what may have been coming after, but Saul beat Stinger more easily than he had anyone else in his comeback run so far.

Laura was waiting in the locker room when they got there and he scooped her up and swung her around.

"You did great!" she exclaimed, looping her arms around his neck and giving him a light kiss on the cheek.

"I am taking _you_ out for drinks," he said firmly. "That's what the purse is for. So, Ms. Roslin, will you go out with me?"

"Yes, I will, Mr. Tigh. Considering you received an _A+_ on your final exam." She grinned.

Saul whooped and swung her around again "Fan-frakking-tastic. You hear that, Jack?"

"I heard." Jack set his bag on the bench. "You want me to put something on your face to reduce the swelling?"

"Aw, hell, I don't care."

"You will in the morning. Set her down and come over here."

Reluctantly, Saul put Laura down and sat for Jack.

"You two are coming, too, you know," Saul said. "I couldn't have done this without all three of you."

Jack frowned. "I'm not sure Laura will want your first date to be a double date."

Saul laughed. "It's not a double date; it's just you and Bill. Where is he anyway?"

Jack bit his lip. "He said he'd find us later. I'll call him."

**

Bill was on his way back to the locker room, already planning what he'd tell Saul he'd done right—and what he could work on for next time—when he heard a voice call out to him.

"Chief?"

He froze. He hadn't heard that name in years, outside of Saul frakking around. He turned slowly.

"Lieutenant Cain?"

Helena Cain smiled at him. "Good evening, Chief, I've been looking all over for you."

**

Saul was beginning to think he should call Bill and make sure he could get to the bar okay when he saw his friend push through the crowd and slide into the booth next to Jack.

"What took you so long?" Saul asked.

"Nothing." Bill rubbed the back of his neck and reached for the drink they had ordered him. "Tonight's your night, Saul. You did fantastic."

Saul beamed. "And I passed the class with flying colors."

"That's great!" Bill smirked. "So, should I take that to mean that you two are a thing now?"

Saul and Laura just smiled at each other.

"Well, that's good." Bill seemed somewhat distracted. He looked down at his lap, then over at Jack. Saul was about to ask what was up when the food they'd ordered arrived and Saul forgot completely that it looked like Bill might have had something to tell him.

**

"The thing about Tyrol is that he's got good stuff but he's slow." Bill was pacing in front of the mirror while Saul boxed for it. "He's… what's the word…?"

"Overconfident?" Laura supplied.

"Yeah, that's it."

She wrote that down with her other notes. "Maybe Saul can try to use Tyrol's own strength against him."

"That's a good thought," Bill said. "He's got stamina, but so does Saul. They're pretty evenly matched."

"He'll want to watch the fight with Costanza again," Laura said. "Costanza fights like Tyrol."

"You mean my fight with Costanza or Tyrol's?" Saul asked.

"Both," Bill and Laura said at the same time.

"Damn." Saul stopped and grabbed his towel. "I can't take this from both of you." He rubbed his hair. "Can I have a trainer and a girlfriend instead of two trainers?"

Bill patted Laura's shoulder. "Absolutely not. I let her hang around because she's tough on you." Laura smirked. "That's a woman after my own heart."

"Yeah, well." Saul grabbed his water bottle. "She's mine, so hands off. Get your own girlfriend." Bill sniffed indignantly at this. "Okay, I'm gonna hit the shower and then we can go out?"

"Sure." Laura set down her pad and paper. "And yes, Bill, I'll be sure to have him home by nine so he can get his beauty sleep."

Bill looked a bit sheepish. "Thanks." He stood up abruptly. "Well, I'm out then. You kids have fun."

Saul paused in taking his sweatshirt off. "Where are you going?"

"To see about some stuff."

**

Laura liked Bill and Jack well enough, but she was glad to spend some time with Saul by himself.

"So," he said, once they were in the car. "Where should we go?"

Laura stretched out in the passenger seat, enjoying the feel of the leather. "Somewhere far away. I know a place out in the country."

"Well, lead on, Ms. Roslin, I'm your chauffeur for the evening."

Laura grinned, momentarily distracted by the image of Saul in a uniform. "Take the C south out of the city. I'll tell you where to go from there."

Laura had always loved driving at night and she watched as the city lights receded until all that was left was a few lights along the highway.

"This exit," she said. Saul signaled and followed her instructions. The place she was taking them to was about a mile off the highway, hard to find in the late-autumn dark. However, when they pulled into the parking lot, Laura was relieved to see it hadn't changed a bit. It was still well-lit and homey and Laura realized the last time she'd been here, it had been with her father and sisters.

"The Ionian Inn, huh?" Saul smirked. "You have staying the night in mind?"

Laura slipped her arm through his. "Maybe later. I think Bill would kill me if I kept you out all night."

"Probably." He kissed her. "But this does look like a nice place. You come here a lot?"

"I used to."

They stepped inside and Laura was hit by a wave of nostalgia. The place hadn't changed a bit. The décor was early Colonial period and all the furniture Laura loved was still there. She couldn't help looking around as they were lead to their table.

"So," Saul said, when they got their menus. "What do you recommend?"

Laura took a moment to admire him, sitting across from her. He looked good in a nice button-down shirt, with his hair neatly combed, instead of the mess it usually was from his running his hands through it.

"The lobster's my favorite," she said. "It's fresh, since we're near the sea… But if you like veal, that's good, too."

"Hmm." Saul scanned the menu. "We ought to start with some wine first, don't you think?"

"That sounds good."

They made small talk while they perused the menu, Laura not wanting to bring any heaviness to the evening. She wanted to tell Saul about the good times she'd spent here, without burdening him with the heavy revelation about her family.

"It's good to get out of the city," Saul said. "I don't think I've been out in years. Not since." He paused. "Maybe not since I came home from the war."

"That long?"

Saul shrugged. "I've been busy." He lifted his wine glass. "When the war ended, I didn't have anyplace to go and Bill was already liking how I was doing at Dances… you know, military fights."

"I know."

"Gods, you're amazing." He grinned. "Well, anyway, Bill was supposed to be the champ, you know? His uncle'd been training him since he was a kid. Toasters changed all that." He frowned. "That's when they adopted me, the Adamas." He reached up to rub the tattoo on his neck. "That's what this one means. Blood brothers."

"And you've been fighting ever since?"

Saul nodded. "We went to Tauron a few times… for a formal adoption, I had to learn Tauron and stuff."

"So, did you grow up speaking Aerilon?"

Saul said something she didn't understand. She laughed. "I'll take that as a yes."

He grinned. "That was an 'Of course.'" He shook his head ruefully. "It's been a long time since I had a chance to speak Aerilon."

She smiled. "You can keep going. I don't mind."

He snickered. "Never really thought of Aerilon as a romantic language."

And it wasn't, truly. It was guttural and not at all beautiful, but she liked listening to his voice, even if she didn't know what he was saying.

"I'll have to take you out for Aerilon food next time," he said. "I know a place downtown. Heavy stuff, meat and potatoes. I go there sometimes after weigh-ins."

"Well, let's do that, then." She paused. "So, you haven't been back to Aerilon?"

Saul shook his head. "Not since I was sixteen." His face clouded. "They all died not long after I joined the service. Cylons destroyed the entire village."

"Oh, Saul, I'm so sorry." She remembered hearing the news reports of the Cylons' push through southern Aerilon, so many people dead.

"It's been twenty years." He took a sip of his wine. "That's a long time."

She reached over and squeezed his hand. "It may be a long time, but it doesn't make it go away. It's been two years for me and sometimes I just miss them so much I can't function."

"I'm sorry. I didn't know."

She went on to explain about the last five years—first losing her mother to cancer, and then her father and sisters to a drunk driver.

Saul held her hand while she talked. No one had ever done that. She managed to get through it without crying, also a first. Saul's warm hazel eyes held hers the entire time and she nearly forgot they were in public. She jumped when the waiter brought their soup.

"It's nice getting to come back here," she said. "I hadn't wanted to come alone and since the accident, I haven't… dated."

Saul nodded. "I haven't dated either. Been too busy training." He ran a hand through his hair, spoiling some of the effect of the neat combing job he'd done. "Bill's my best friend, but he's a bit of a hardass."

"Well, I'm very pleased he seems to have made an exception for me."

Saul grinned. "Oh, he likes you."

"I thought maybe he'd felt a little guilty."

"Maybe." He shrugged. "Half of Bill still lives in the military… I know if he hadn't lost the leg, he had his sights set on a career. He wanted nothing more than to be an officer. He hated having to answer to other people."

"What about you?"

He laughed. "I liked the structure, the rules. Kept me out of trouble." He rubbed the side of his nose. "That's how I wound up in the Fleet in the first place, actually. I had a lot of trouble in my teens and they thought military service would straighten me out." He smirked. "The war started three weeks after I went to basic."

Laura thought back to when the war had started, when she'd been in high school. She couldn't imagine being in the military then, when she'd been more concerned about getting through pyramid in gym. She imagined Saul, not even getting a chance to finish his education, being forced through basic training, while she'd been daydreaming her way through Classical Gemenese poetry. And then Saul had been in combat, fixing Vipers while the Cylons were shooting at them while Laura had gotten education deferment after education deferment.

"You saw action almost the entire time, didn't you?"

He nodded. "They fast-tracked us through basic, which only resulted in a bunch of underage knuckledraggers who didn't know what the frak they were doing."

"When did you meet Bill?"

"Couple years later. He joined up after graduation. He made Chief faster than anyone I'd ever seen. He was a natural for command."

They went on like that throughout their meal, talking about the pasts, and by the end, she felt almost like she'd known him for years. As they walked out, he draped his arm around her shoulders. "Do you want to go back yet?"

"Mm." They got into the car and Saul leaned across the gearshift. "Maybe not just yet." He kissed her.

"Should we have gotten in the back?"

"You tell me." He kissed her neck, then, and her jaw, taking his time. His hands were in her hair, then sliding down to unbutton her blouse and cup her breasts through her bra.

"I would feel bad if we did this here in the parking lot," Laura said.

"Should we check in then?" he murmured in her ear.

She was about to answer when Saul's phone rang.

"Frak." He pulled back and struggled to get it out of his pants pocket. "What the hell, Bill?"

Saul was silent as Bill talked. "Yeah, I know." He sighed. "I'm on my way." He snapped his phone shut and tossed it into the backseat. He reached up and ruffled his hair. "Godsdamnit, I hate him sometimes. He wants me to come back."

Laura nodded. "I understand. You do need you rest."

Saul didn't respond. He started the car and peeled out of the parking lot.  



	4. On the Ropes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Twelve Colonies AU. Saul is a boxer on his way to a comeback when he shows up in Laura's classroom and catches her eye.

**Title:** On the Ropes  
 **Author:** The Plaid Slytherin ([](http://plaid-slytherin.livejournal.com/profile)[ **plaid_slytherin**](http://plaid-slytherin.livejournal.com/) )  
 **Characters/Pairings:** Saul/Laura, Bill, Cottle, various others  
 **Rating:** M  
 **Summary:** Twelve Colonies AU. Saul is a boxer on his way to a comeback when he shows up in Laura's classroom and catches her eye.  
 **A/N:** For the [](http://bsg-epics.livejournal.com/profile)[**bsg_epics**](http://bsg-epics.livejournal.com/) Fic Pentathlon, as a Cylon ship. Thanks to [](http://wishflsinfl.livejournal.com/profile)[**wishflsinfl**](http://wishflsinfl.livejournal.com/) for betaing and the incredibly awesome boxing knowhow and the members of [](http://bsg-checkin.livejournal.com/profile)[**bsg_checkin**](http://bsg-checkin.livejournal.com/) for their encouragement.  
 **Previously:** [One](http://plaid-slytherin.livejournal.com/192684.html) | [Two](http://plaid-slytherin.livejournal.com/193015.html) | [Three](http://plaid-slytherin.livejournal.com/193130.html)

  
It was raining when Saul dropped Laura off at her house and pouring by the time he got back to the gym.

"What the frak is your problem?" he asked as he stormed inside.

Bill looked up from his paperwork. "I told you to be home by nine. It' s past one."

"Last time I checked, we were out of the military. I don't think you can give me orders."

"Oh, yeah?" Bill stood up. "I'm your trainer. I know what I'm doing. You do what I say and that's how it is. That's how it's always been."

"Yeah, until you started cutting in to my personal life."

"I never said you couldn't date, just that you can't let it get in the way of your training."

Saul took a step forward. "And you don't trust me to do that myself?"

"No, actually." Bill came up chest-to-chest with him. "You've slipped before if I let you. Remember Junius, four years ago?"

"That's _real_ low, Bill."

"Hey, I'm just telling it how I see it." He started to go past Saul, but Saul reached out and grabbed his arm.

"Are you _jealous_ or something?"

Bill's eyebrows knit. "What?"

"You spend all your time on me, looking at fights, coming up with workouts…"

Bill snorted. "What are you implying?"

"You tell me, Bill. Would you rather just sit here feeling sorry for yourself…"

"Get out."

"What?" Saul blinked. "Bill?"

"Get out." Bill was scowling at him. "If you don't want to be here anymore, leave. I'm not going to stop you." He turned and stalked toward the stairs.

**

Laura hadn't yet gone to bed when there was a knock at her door. She wasn't sure why, but when she opened it, she wasn't surprised to see Saul there.

"You're soaked through!" she exclaimed, ushering him in. "What happened?"

He gave her a rueful smile. "Bill and I had a fight."

She sighed. "I'm sorry, it's my fault—"

"No." He put his hands on her shoulders. "It's not your fault at all. He's just being a stick in the mud." He sighed. "I'm sure it'll pass. I just need someplace to crash…"

"Well, you are certainly welcome here, Saul. Why don't you go take a shower? I'll get you some clothes."

She was glad she still kept some of her father's things and that he and Saul were about the same size. She paused in front of the bathroom door, entertaining a brief fantasy of Saul, the water running down his chest.

"I'm leaving you some clothes," she called, opening the door just wide enough to put them on the counter. "There's a towel already in there."

She could see him outlined against the shower curtain.

"Thanks," he said, and she shut the door.

He was right, it wasn't her fault, but she still felt guilty. She'd lost track of the time, even though she had told Bill she would have Saul back early. She knew Saul was annoyed with his trainer's interference, but she didn't want this to cause a rift between them, not after all these years.

**

Jack answered on the first ring, filling Bill with relief. "I blew it this time," he said.

"What do you mean by that?"

Bill sighed, hesitant to reveal his mistake. "I pissed Saul off."

"You've done that before, haven't you?"

"I told him to get out."

"Oh."

Bill shifted in his chair and looked around the office. He didn't want to go up to the apartment, not when it was empty. Somehow, it seemed worse than with Saul was out. It seemed like he wasn't coming back.

"He'll come back. You know him."

"Yeah, I do. And I think he might be done with me this time."

Jack gave a sigh. Bill could picture his expression. "He'll come back," he said again. "He can't stay out of the ring. It's not like _she's_ asking him to choose boxing or her."

"That's not what I'm asking, either. I just—"

"You didn't tell him, did you?"

"No." Bill ran a hand through his hair. "And I can't very well do it now."

"You want me to tell him?"

"Nah, I'd better do it." Bill smiled.

"Good. I didn't want to tell him."

"Why'd you offer, then?"

"To make you feel better."

Bill shook his head. "I appreciate that. I'll give him time to sleep it off… She's breathing down my neck, you know. She wants to schedule a fight."

"She thinks he's going to lose again."

"I know."

"He's not."

"I know."

**

Saul woke to the smell of coffee and breakfast. He sat up, stretching, and blinked. This wasn't his room.

That was right. It was Laura's guest room. He sighed, the memory of last night coming back to him. He got up and reached for the bathrobe she'd left for him on the back of the door. He supposed he'd better get up and face the day.

When he got to the kitchen, Bill was there. Saul stopped dead in the doorway.

"Come on in," Laura said. "You want coffee, don't you?" He looked at her, feeling chastened. She kissed him on the cheek. "Breakfast will be ready soon."

Saul pulled out a chair and sat. "Morning, Bill."

"Good morning." Bill rested his elbow on the table. "You have a nice time last night?"

"Yeah." Saul accepted the coffee Laura handed him. "We had a great time. You ready to let me back home?"

Bill sighed. "I'm sorry about that, Saul." From the look on his face, Saul had the feeling that this was the best he was going to get. "I don't have a problem with you and Laura." It looked like it was killing him not to say _as long as it doesn't interfere with your fights_. "I'm happy for you."

"What'd it take for you to get to that?"

Bill rubbed his chin. "I talked to Jack."

"Remind me to thank him."

Laura set some plates on the table. "You wouldn't have stayed away long," she said to Saul.

He sighed. "I know. Can we pretend the whole thing didn't happen?"

Laura sat down across from him. "Is that so it can happen again?"

Saul laughed. "You're getting to know me pretty well, Roslin."

Bill set his cup down. "Okay, now that that's out of the way, there's something I have to tell you."

"Yeah?"

"I ran into Helena Cain the other day."

Saul froze. "You did."

Bill took another sip of coffee. "She asked me if we wanted to schedule a fight."

The corners of Saul's lips twitched. "Does she have a new protégé or is this who I think it is?"

"It's Alastair Thorne."

Laura looked at Saul questioningly. Damn, he hadn't looked forward to telling her this. She hadn't mentioned his eye injury again since he'd gotten the patch off, much less since they'd started dating.

"That's the guy who gave me this," he said, touching his fingertip to his split eyebrow. Laura's mouth dropped.

"You're going to fight him again?"

Saul glanced at Bill. "I'd like to."

Bill steepled his hands. "I like the story there. It could get a lot of buzz."

Laura looked back at him. "But is it safe?"

"It's safe if I don't let him hit me there again," Saul said.

"This is a big chance for us," Bill said. "I wasn't wild about it at first, but… you've been doing great on this comeback gig."

"Thanks," Saul said, smirking. "Love the support."

"Seriously. This says, 'I'm back and I'm here to stay. I'm not afraid of Thorne.' And you're gonna beat him, which is only gonna make your stock shoot way, way up." Bill was grinning, that gleam of ambition back in his eyes. "You can really go places. We're going to put the gym back on the map."

Saul smiled. "How can I pass up an opportunity like that?"

**

Bill and Saul both left after breakfast and Laura watched them go from the front door. She wasn't sure why she was having this reaction to the news that Saul was going to face Thorne again. She had always followed boxing, and while she'd known it was dangerous, she'd never really worried for the fighters' safety—but she'd never seen any bad injuries either, and she knew that the ones she heard about were accidents.

It was different with Saul now. She didn't want to let him go. It was ridiculous, she knew—this was an excellent opportunity for him to further his career. Laura knew most of prizefighting was PR and that this would be a big matchup. People would be talking about this all over the city and from here, Saul could go anywhere. Thorne was a formidable opponent.

And that was exactly what made Laura worried.

She knew her father would have liked Saul's fighting style. It was clean and smart, and from her conversations with Saul, she knew they had similar philosophies. Now more than ever, though, she wished her father was still alive so they could discuss this fight. All those years they'd spent breaking down fights and here, when it counted, he wasn't there.

Laura went back into the kitchen and began gathering the dirty dishes. As long as Saul was on his toes… as long as the ref kept an eye on Thorne…

Maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

**

Three weeks.

Saul stared at the calendar tacked to the wall of the gym office. Three weeks to get ready for Thorne.

The training regimen was tacked next to it and it was one of the crueler ones Bill had devised.

"Aren't you supposed to go running?"

Saul turned to look at his friend, leaning in the office doorway. "You really think this is a good idea."

Bill took a step into the office. "This is a hill we have to get over, Saul. We haven't been able to get over it since _Galactica_. I hate thinking back to those dances and him wiping the floor with you."

"I know that. But he fights dirty."

"They _all_ fight dirty. You've fought dirty."

"Not anymore."

"That's not the point. I'm saying you know how to deal with it. You've beaten guys like this. Why can't you beat him?"

"I don't know."

Bill sighed. "I'm sorry, Saul. This one just grinds my chain. It's about me and Cain as much as it's about you and Thorne."

Saul smirked. "I know. You want Jack to set up a rivalry with their cutman?"

Bill laughed. "He thinks I'm going about this all the wrong way. But he'll be there to clean up your mess."

"What about Laura?"

Bill smirked. "You're supposed to be the Laura expert. I can only be responsible for one of them."

"Yeah, well, she's worried. But I think she understands."

"You think?"

"She understands." Saul started to stretch. "It's just her luck that barely a month into being a fighter's girlfriend, we run into this."

"Mm." Bill sat down at his desk. "Think you better get a move on it."

"Sir!" Saul saluted sharply and then left, laughing, at a jog.

**

Laura didn't want to risk getting on Bill's bad side, so she invited Saul over for dinner the week before the fight.

"If you keep catering to him, you'll give him too much power," Saul said, when she opened the door, right after he'd kissed her breathless.

"Think of it as just humoring him." She laughed. "Plus he happened to imply he _wanted_ you out of the house tonight. I think he might have plans, too."

Saul snorted. "Bill? Plans? He hasn't been on a date in gods only know."

"Oh, I'm sure that's not true. And," she added, pulling him closer, "I did _not_ invite you here to talk about Bill."

"You invited me here to cook for me, right?"

She laughed. "That… and other things."

"I'm looking forward to the other things." He pressed his lips to her earlobe, making her shiver.

"I'm sure you are. But dinner first?"

Saul looked very reluctant, but apparently his stomach had won out over the rest of him.

"This is good!" he exclaimed as he dug in. "What is it?"

Laura smiled. "Sausage casserole. It's an old family recipe. My mother used to make it for my father before he had to give a big talk."

"And you're making it for me before the fight." He smiled. "You must've figured how much I can eat."

She was glad how much he seemed to enjoy dinner. Their conversation was light and flirty, much more comfortable than she'd been feeling. It didn't get heavy until they were finishing their chocolate cream pie.

Saul shook his head. "You really think I can do this?"

"Saul, I know you can." She laid her hand over his. "You've fought him before; at least you know how he fights."

Saul smirked. "You're right about that at least." He sighed. "I just have a bad feeling about this."

"How can I make you feel better?"

Saul slid his plate aside, a smirk on his face. "I can think of a number of things, if you want to."

Laura leaned across the table and kissed him. "Let's take your mind off things. You can stay the night, can't you?"

"Of course."

He slipped his arm around her and they stood up together.

She pressed in close. "I'll show you where you'll be sleeping tonight."

Saul smiled. "Much appreciated."

As they made their way down the hall, stopping to kiss, Laura tried to remember the last time she'd had a man in her bedroom. Perhaps it was the distraction of Saul taking his time to kiss her neck, finding all the right places, but she found she couldn't.

And then, they were in her bedroom and she forgot she'd ever wondered about it.

**

Saul tried to keep his mind off the fight. Usually, he could do that, just train and not think a thing about _why_.

It wasn't working this time.

He knew boxing was dangerous. He'd known it since he'd first gotten involved. But that was before Laura, before he had anyone he cared about outside of Bill.

Now, he couldn't quite stop thinking about the possibility that something might happen to him, that he might not only not beat Thorne, but that Thorne could seriously hurt him.

He had before, after all.

Saul stopped in front of the bag.

"What's wrong?" Bill asked, looking up from his paperwork.

Saul sighed. "Just thinking about stuff."

"Don't think. Fight."

"I'm not sure I can, Bill."

Bill slid over on the couch and patted the spot next to him. Saul sat. "Listen," he said, "you can do this. Don't let him intimidate you. He _lives_ on intimidation. He _survives_ on fighters being too scared to step into the ring with him."

"He's undefeated—"

"And so are you, since you've come back." Bill had that look in his eye of a raw promoter. "This is gonna be great."

"You don't have to fight him."

"No, but I have to watch you do it and that's almost worse. Every time you're in the ring, it's like I am, too." He put his hand on Saul's shoulder. "Gods, I wish I could still do it."

Saul turned to look at him. "Bill, I wouldn't be where I am without you. You're the best a guy could ask for."

Bill smirked. "That so?"

"Yeah."

"Well, then." Bill stood. "Your trainer says get back to work."

**

Laura got to the arena early and went straight to Saul's locker room.

Bill was waiting outside, arms crossed over his chest, looking tense. "He's in there if you want to see him," he said, jerking his thumb at the door.

"Actually, it's you I wanted to see." She looked up at him firmly. "How far do you intend to let this go?"

Bill ran his hand through his hair. "What do you mean?" She could tell he knew what she was going to ask, but didn't want her to.

"You will throw in the towel, won't you? If it gets too bad?"

He pushed his glasses up on his nose. "It's not going to get that bad."

Laura smirked. "Humor me."

"I've never thrown in the towel."

"You said yourself how tough Thorne is."

"And I believe in Saul."

She sighed. "So do I, but I'm not stupid. I'm being realistic."

Bill looked away. "I'll do it," he said. "If it gets bad."

"Thank you," Laura said.

"I've got to go talk to Cain." He brushed past her.

As he walked down the hall, Laura could sense some relief as he looked glad that she'd been the one to ask.

**

Laura found Saul on his bench in the locker room, a look of intense concentration on his face.

"You ready?"

He blinked at her. "Yeah. Yeah. I think so."

She smiled. He looked ready.

"You're going to do great," she said, resting her hand on his shoulder. She let his slide down the smooth fabric of his robe, across his arm.

"You think so?"

"I really do, Saul. You're going to blow this guy out of the water." She began to rub his shoulders.

He sighed. "I admire your confidence."

She pressed her lips to the top of his head. "Saul, I've seen you fight and you said yourself I know fighters. You're one of the best."

He let out a pleased hum. "You keep saying that, Roslin."

"It's because it's true. I just wish my father could have seen you."

"Is that because of the boyfriend thing or the one of the best thing?"

She kissed him again. "Both."

The door opened.

"My uncle's here," Bill said, by way of greeting. "I just looked out. He's front row center, with the whole entourage."

Saul let out a breath. "So I'm supposed to perform, right?"

"You're supposed to let the old man think you were a worthwhile investment, yeah."

"Okay, well." Saul stood and stretched. He turned to Laura. "How do I look?" She noticed he had his hair plastered to his forehead and remembered her comments a few weeks ago.

"Tough."

He raised his gloves. "I'm ready."

"I'll be cheering for you." She turned to go, then stopped. "One more thing." She pressed a good-luck kiss to his lips. "How's that?"

"Could be more."

Bill cleared his throat.

Saul winked at her. "Later."

"Later."  



	5. On the Ropes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Twelve Colonies AU. Saul is a boxer on his way to a comeback when he shows up in Laura's classroom and catches her eye.

**Title:** On the Ropes  
 **Author:** The Plaid Slytherin ([](http://plaid-slytherin.livejournal.com/profile)[ **plaid_slytherin**](http://plaid-slytherin.livejournal.com/) )  
 **Characters/Pairings:** Saul/Laura, Bill, Cottle, various others  
 **Rating:** M  
 **Summary:** Twelve Colonies AU. Saul is a boxer on his way to a comeback when he shows up in Laura's classroom and catches her eye.  
 **A/N:** For the [](http://bsg-epics.livejournal.com/profile)[**bsg_epics**](http://bsg-epics.livejournal.com/) Fic Pentathlon, as a Cylon ship. Thanks to [](http://wishflsinfl.livejournal.com/profile)[**wishflsinfl**](http://wishflsinfl.livejournal.com/) for betaing and the incredibly awesome boxing knowhow and the members of [](http://bsg-checkin.livejournal.com/profile)[**bsg_checkin**](http://bsg-checkin.livejournal.com/) for their encouragement.  
 **Previously:** [One](http://plaid-slytherin.livejournal.com/192684.html) | [Two](http://plaid-slytherin.livejournal.com/193015.html) | [Three](http://plaid-slytherin.livejournal.com/193130.html) | [Four](http://plaid-slytherin.livejournal.com/193444.html)

 

  
Laura didn't realize it until she sat down, but her seat was right next to Sam Adama's.

"You're the ladyfriend?" he asked.

"Yes, sir." Laura held her hand out to him. "Laura Roslin."

They shook. "If my nephew approves, so do I."

Laura wasn't sure if Bill really _approved_ , per se, but she'd take it. "Thank you, Mr. Adama."

He laughed. "Call me Sam, please. Mr. Adama sounds like my brother."

Laura smiled. She liked him already.

"Here he comes," Sam said suddenly, and they both turned to watch as the lights dimmed and Saul's entrance music began. Laura still got chills every time she saw him come in. He had the swagger, the raw sexiness… he really was the champ.

She couldn't help but grin and cast her eyes over to Sam, whose expression was unreadable.

_You just watch, old man_ , she thought.

When she saw Thorne, she had to admit he looked like bad news. He wore a perpetual sneer on his face, in contrast to Saul's cocky-but-lovable grin.

_He's better now_ , Laura told herself. _He's trained hard. He has to want it more._

__The first part of the fight showed how evenly matched they were. Most of their energy was expended on blocking the other's punches and Laura could tell they both had the same style—wear down the opponent. Saul's agility would definitely help him here, as he could evade more of Thorne's jabs than Thorne could his.

The first time someone made contact—Thorne to Saul's jaw—the crowd gasped. Laura cringed.

Saul seemed to take it well, though. He let it roll off him and he ducked the next one, getting Thorne with a swift uppercut. Laura's voice joined the roar of the crowd when Thorne staggered and she chanced a look at Sam. He seemed pleased.

When Saul staggered back to his corner after the first round, though, he seemed exhausted and Laura tried to look closely, attempting to find some sign of fatigue. She knew Saul tended to get a second wind further into the fight as he got more used to his opponent's style, but he really looked like Thorne was wearing him out. She hoped it wasn't his nerves getting to him.

He seemed to recover some in the next round, even beating Thorne back so that he had the upper hand for most of the following round.

He was doing pretty good.

**

"You're doing pretty good," Bill said. He was leaning casually on the edge of the ring, trying not to look self-consciously at his uncle. Saul knew he was nervous, but he was trying not to let Bill's nerves get him, too. One set of nerves was more than enough.

"You think so?"

"Hell yeah." Bill grinned. He patted Saul on the shoulder. The bell rang. "Go get him, tiger.

**

This was hard. Saul hadn't wanted to let Bill know, since he seemed so nervous, but this was probably his hardest fight yet. Thorne was a really tough opponent, who seemed to know Saul's technique inside and out. He was shrewd, but also a brawler, with a physical toughness to outlast most of his opponents. Saul had to rely on stamina.

He wasn't surprised when Thorne knocked him down.

So, he'd been a little overconfident with Bill. That's what you did with Bill, made him feel good or else his own nerves would eat him up. After that round, Bill looked at him levelly.

"Can you hang in there?" he asked.

"I can hang in there," Saul said.

"Good."

It wasn't until the seventh that things got real bad. Saul missed a block and took one to the cheek, which dazed him. Then, Thorne's next punch hit him in the gut. The crowd let out a collective gasp and Saul felt the world tilt as he staggered.

Through the pain, he could hear Bill's voice bellowing, "That was below the belt! Are you blind?"

Saul felt himself swaying a bit and fought to stay on his feet. He was in no position to defend against the next punch, right to his jaw. Or the next one. Right in the eyebrow. He hit the mat.

Vaguely, he was aware of the ref counting him down. _Godsdamnit_ , he thought. _Don't end here._

Somehow, he got to his feet again. Everything was a blur and Saul was just trying to stay on his feet.

The bell signaling the end of the round came mercifully soon.

Saul staggered back to his corner. "This is a hell of a thing," he said, grabbing the ropes for support.

Bill held up a water bottle for him. "How you feel?"

"I feel fine," Saul said. He was still dazed, though, from the rattling his skull had taken.

"I'll try to stop the bleeding," Jack said, leaning over Bill and pressing something to Saul's forehead. Had he been bleeding? He didn't know.

He chanced a glance into the stands, but he couldn't find Laura. Good. He didn't want her to see him like this.

Jack leaned in close to Bill. "I'm not gonna lie to you. I can't guarantee his safety if he continues."

Bill frowned, and suddenly, it all hit Saul. Him and Jack. Him and Jack were a _thing_. Why hadn't he said anything?

Bill nodded and made to climb into the ring.

"No." Saul was surprised at the sound of his own voice. "No, Bill, no. I can finish this."

Bill looked at him, his blue eyes boring into him. "I promised her I'd stop the fight."

"And I'm telling you not to."

"She'll kill me."

Saul winced as his cut began to throb. "I'll explain it all to her. Just let me get back out there." He grabbed Bill's upper arm. "This isn't just about me. This is about the gym, this is about my career. Your uncle is _watching_."

"I know, Saul. I know and I don't care."

Bill glared at him. Then he looked at Jack. "You think he's out of it or something?"

The bell rang again and Saul lurched back to the middle of the ring.

"I think he knows what he's doing," he heard Jack say.

**

Laura and Sam didn't say anything as they watched Thorne pound the crap out of Saul. All her good feelings at the beginning of the evening had evaporated.

_Why aren't you stopping the fight_? she thought at Bill. He seemed oblivious to her mental messages, having fallen back into his usual pacing.

Saul looked like he was barely able to stay on his feet, much less fight back.

_Come on, Saul,_ she thought. _I don't care if you win or lose. I just want you to be all right._

He took a swing at Thorne and missed; that was when Laura realized he couldn't see out of that eye. She turned her attention toward Jack, who was standing, hands behind his back, watching the match intently.

_Can't_ you _stop it_? _You certainly have more sense than Bill_.

As if he could hear her, Jack looked up at her and gave her a tight smile. _What are you gonna do_? he seemed to be saying. _They're both stubborn as hell._

**

Maybe it was the beating he'd taken, but it was almost easier this way. He couldn't see out of his right eye, but that didn't really bother him. After all, why should he worry about what he couldn't see?

He blocked a few of Thorne's punches, which was a lot better than getting hit—which happened a few times, too. But he got a few punches of his own, too, which made him feel a bit better.

"I'm not beat yet," he said, when he had Thorne caught in a hold. Thorne didn't say anything, just thrust a punch that Saul dodged.

"I'm not beat yet," he repeated.

His next punch hit.

And his next.

And his next.

It went on like that for a while and Saul could hear the crowd getting more excited, now that the fight was morphing from a one-sided affair.

"Giving 'em a good show, huh, Tigh?" Thorne asked.

"You bet."

**

It all seemed to move in slow motion for Laura. She knew boxing. She'd grown up on boxing. She'd never seen a match this vicious. The crowd was going nuts, but still, Sam Adama didn't flinch.

What did he have riding on this? It had to be a lot.

She gripped the arms of her seat.

That was why, wasn't it? Why he was doing this, for Bill and his uncle.

Jack was right. He really was stubborn.

**

Saul was not conscious of the final blow. At least, he didn't remember it later. He had to be told later, how the ref held his arm up and how as soon as he let go, Saul staggered forward and fell.

The next thing he was conscious of was the florescent lights—thank the gods he could see, and with both eyes.

Emergency room?

He turned his head. Laura. She was staring woodenly ahead, not seeming to have noticed him.

"Hey," he said, voice cracking.

She jumped. "Saul!" She reached forward and brushed his hair back from his forehead. "How do you feel?"

"I've felt better," he muttered. "Felt worse, too."

"Well, I could barely watch that," she told him.

"Well, that's what it's like. Still interested?"

Laura smiled. "How could you think otherwise?"

"This didn't put you off?"

"No, of course not."

Saul breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank the gods."

Laura kissed his forehead. "You get some rest now. I'll go get Jack and Bill."

"Now where are they off to? Be careful you don't disturb them."

Laura rolled her eyes and stood up. "They're trying to get the doctor to see you. They think you don't know, by the way."

Saul declined to mention he _hadn't_ known until this evening.

"I won, right?"

Laura paused in front of the isolation screen. "You won."

A smile spread across Saul's face as he fell back onto the pillow. He was back.

 

 

**Epilogue**

"We're late," Laura said, walking briskly across the parking lot.

"I know." Saul ran a hand through his hair. "They'll be amusing themselves, I'm sure."

Sure enough, when they got to the booth, Bill and Jack were quite involved in each other.

Saul cleared his throat. "If you all are busy, we can come back later."

Jack turned. "So you finally decided to show up, huh?"

"Traffic." Saul slid into the booth across from them and slipped his arm around Laura when she joined him. "You order yet?"

"Drinks and appetizers."

Saul nodded. "Okay, now this news. Tell me about the news." He turned to Laura. "Don't tell me this is something else you know about that I don't."

Laura shrugged. "I'm just as much in the dark about this as you are."

Bill grinned. "It's about the gym. We're gonna take on more people."

"Really?" Saul smirked. "You finally gonna replace me with a younger model, huh?"

"No," Bill said firmly. "New fighters and new trainers. You're still my sole responsibility."

Saul grinned. "Never should have doubted you." He shook his head. "Gods, Bill, this is just fantastic."

"I know." Bill was practically laughing. "This is really it, Saul. Our big break."

"You're going to have some protégés, then?" Laura asked.

Saul rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, I guess so. These kids are gonna look up to me or something, aren't they?" He didn't know how he felt about that.

"Oh, no way they look up to you," Bill said immediately.

"Way to make a guy feel big."

Bill smirked. "She's the one who's supposed to make you feel big. My job's to cut you down again."

"Still." Saul sipped his drink. "Gonna get pretty crowded down there. Guess it's time for my news."

"What is it?"

Saul glanced at Laura, who smiled. "I'm moving out. Still practically going to live there, I'm sure, but I'll be moving in with Laura." He could stop looking at her as he said it, the grin on her face. He'd been a bit nervous to say it out loud, just in case it didn't happen to be really true, that it was all a dream.

But it was real.

Bill almost looked disappointed. "I'll miss you," he said.

"You can miss him," Jack said suddenly. "Hopefully not too much, though. I'm thinking you might want to move out, too."

Bill looked genuinely surprised. "You mean it?"

"Would I have said it if I didn't?"

Bill leaned in to kiss him.

"Thought we had that already," Saul said.

Laura linked arms with him. "I think they're adorable." Then, she kissed him and Saul forgot all about anything else.

**

There was a soft, early-winter bite to the air as they walked to the car and Laura slipped her hand into Saul's jacket.

"Wait til we get home for that," he said. _Home_. He couldn't stop smiling whenever he thought that. His home was Laura's home. It sounded good, to have a home.

"Are you really okay with this?" she asked, as they slid into the car. "Not having Bill's undivided attention."

Saul snorted. "Well, I'd been sharing him with Jack longer than I thought."

"I cannot believe you didn't notice them."

"Are we still talking about this?"

Laura laughed. "I meant from a training standpoint."

"I'll be fine." He reached up to rub the spot above his eye where the new scar was. It still stung sometimes, even after a couple months. "It'll be different, but I'll be fine." He pulled out of the parking lot.

Laura leaned back in her seat. "What's your schedule look like?"

"I start again in two weeks." He rattled off his list of opponents and Laura nodded.

"I'll start looking into them."

Saul shook his head. He was damn lucky to have her. "What about you?"

"Well, my semester's almost over, so I imagine I'll be spending my break watching tape."

"I feel like there's something I should be doing for you."

"Well, first, you can make Bill let you handle the books for the gym."

"Done."

"The rest…" Her smile nearly made Saul swerve off the road. "That can wait until we get home."  



End file.
